Water-Babies, White Rabbits and Lost Boys: Examining the Victorian Age Through the Lens of Children's Literature

Authors

Elizabeth Carpenter

Document Type

Honors Project

Publication Date

5-11-2010

Abstract

Children’s literature has been studied throughout its existence, and is a valuable tool for examining the issues of the time periods in which they are written, however they can also be used as lenses through which to critique the societies in which they exist. My project examines Charles Kingsley’s Water-Babies, Lewis Carrol’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There and J.M Barrie’s Peter Pan as vehicles of social critique and commentary. All three stories present interesting main characters who act as foils for the issues their authors deal with, from the debate over evolution, child labor, starvation, and the family structure.

Level of Honors

cum laude

Department

English

Advisor

Timothy Spurgin

Comments

Advisor: Tim Spurgin

Level of Honors: cum laude

Recommended Citation

Carpenter, Elizabeth, "Water-Babies, White Rabbits and Lost Boys: Examining the Victorian Age Through the Lens of Children's Literature" (2010). Lawrence University Honors Projects. 1.
https://lux.lawrence.edu/luhp/1